Now, I'm a very lapsed Catholic, but I reckon that the Boss is probably capable of looking after his own affairs on earth without the intervention of these self-appointed guardians of Christian Voice. I would expect that an omnipotent deity is more than able to deal with blasphemers by delivering unto them plagues of frogs, locusts or rampaging theatre critics.

These aren't just a bunch of random nutters out to purify our nation's airwaves like the wonderful Mary Whitehouse. Oh no, this is an entirely different brand of fruitcake, although they are similarly preoccupied with sex in general and gay sex in particular (any psychologists out there are welcome to draw their own conclusions).

After considerable research, they have found some imaginative ways in which this country is in breach of the ten commandments. I've abbreviated the commandments, so should He not approve, expect this post to stop at any time.

1 - Thou shalt have no gods before meApparently broken by us joining the UN, accepting the UN declaration on human rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and joining UNESCO. (All to do with the divine authority granted to the monarch and over-ridden by these treaties).

2 - Thou shalt not bow down to any graven imagesBroken by our membership of the EU and by the Sunningdale and Hillsborough agreements with the Irish Republic. Also, they don't like the 1951 Fradulent Mediums Act, which replaced the Witchcraft Act. Apparently, we aren't burning enough witches - have they thought of the pollution that would cause?

3 - Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.They don't like the Lord Chancellor losing the power to regulate theatre in 1968 and don't have a good word for the Broadcasting Act 1990. Apparently, the 1968 Theatre Act:'opened the way for blasphemy, brutality, sodomy and other perversions to be offered on stage for the purpose of gain and amusement.' Which is nice. I look forward to seeing some more of that on stage at the Hippodrome.

4 - Keep holy the Sabbath day.Forget those Sunday trips to IKEA. All the Sunday trading legislation is verboten - whether you are Christian or not. Seems like they've got us bang to rights here, guv.

5 - Honour thy father and thy mother.This clause also causes problems for taxation and deficit financing (damning Maynard Keynes as a 'promiscuous homosexual who hated thrift, saving and financial prudence'). But we ain't even started. We also need to junk sex education (and state education in general, apparently), bring back corporal punishment and abandon the Children Act, which put the child's welfare first. Along the way, we need to restigmatise illegitimacy, scrap social security and repeal legislation demanding equal pay and outlawing sex discrimination.

6 - Thou shalt not kill.Straightforward enough, you would think. Curiously, while they oppose the 1961 decriminalisation of suicide and the 1957 Homicide Act which allowed for a verdict of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, they are all in favour of state execution and wider gun ownership. Predictably, abortion and the embryo research are attacked as well.

7 - Thou shalt not commit adultery.One version of the Bible did omit the third word from this commandment, which must have caused confusion, but these men (and I suspect they are mostly men) are straight down the line with this one. Like Richard Littlejohn on acid, the bile spews at the gay community, because being gay is a lifestyle choice and can be cured through Christian ministry. Venom is reserved for the 'anti-Christian' Law Commission and the changes in the law on divorce - rather generously, they are prepared to 'make a case' for divorce in the case of cruelty. Unpleasantly enough, they seem to actually support rape in marriage - conjugal rights should be enforceable in law.

8 - Thou shalt not steal.The commandments are pretty straightforward laws and are not encumbered with clauses, but this apparently forbade leaving the Gold Standard. Additionally, income tax, VAT, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and leasehold reform also come in for attack.

9 - Thou shalt not bear false witness.Traffic enforcement cameras, parking fines adjudication, legal aid and the criminal burden of proof (particularly when women are using the law against men) are all difficult areas for Christians, apparently. And the Criminal Justice Act apparently 'gave homosexual men access to teenagers' - although I don't think the law stopped Jonathan King in the 70s.

10 - Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's...No to the National Lottery, which apparently encourages occultism as well as funnelling money to 'organisations of homosexuals, prostitutes and trans-sexuals campaigning against Christian morality.' They also don't like relaxation of laws in the area of obscene publications.

Incidentally, the blame for this goes to the very top - they hold HM the Queen responsible for the action of her governments (of all political hues).

This bunch of nutters have now got into bed (metaphorically, you understand) with Kilroy. It seems that one of the Veritas organisers, Tony Bennett (not the crooner, nor the caretaker from Take Hart) is a member of this bunch and others are just as dodgy.

So all in all, a nasty little group of bigots that give ordinary Christians a bad name. Anyone got any lions that need feeding?

1 comment:

Thanks for drawing attention to this bunch of dangerous fundamentalists. As a fellow ex-catholic (now atheist) I am disgusted by some of the incredible views published on their site, and the publicity granted by bbc etc. to what appears to be a very small action group. I presume they aspire to the level of influence enjoyed by similar US groups under the Bush administration. I also think we will see a lot more of this in the coming years as the British religious right attempts to assert its authority on British politics - hence their involvement with Veritas